Bible Studies, Inspired by Faith and Science

Is it okay to misunderstand things in our faith? Is it okay if a neighboring church misunderstands something? Is it okay to believe we might not know it all? Our Coffee Break Bible Study looked at the Bread of Heaven passage last week - a "hard" saying, as the disciples now complain, and a hard saying that has divided Christian churches over the centuries. Does it matter that we don't all interpret it the same way? I hope we'll conclude in this week's study that there are more important things to worry about. (44) Rejection or Misunderstanding? Christian churches still choose to divide themselves by how they interpret the Bread of Heaven passage. How comfortable are you accepting that other Christians might have different interpretations? 1.        Read John 6:60 If this is, as the Bible and the disciples say, “a hard saying,” should any of us expect to fully understand it? Does the Spirit give us complete understanding, or sufficient understandin...

Jesus fed the 5,000 then disappeared. When he reappears, the crowds gather to meet him. Are they looking for food, healing, teaching... or just for the next new thing? If they were looking for teaching, they certainly found some, though the disciples described it later as a "hard teaching." What are we looking for? (43) Hard Teaching Jesus has just fed the 5,000; John records this as Jesus’ fourth “sign” ( Read John 6:14—the signs so far are: wedding feast at Cana, healing the official’s son, and healing at the pool ) and so a seriously big deal in determining who Jesus is. Jesus then sails across the water (and walks on water—last week’s study). Meanwhile… Read John 6:22-24 1.        How do the crowds react when Jesus has “disappeared”? 2.        What efforts do we make to “find” Jesus when we don’t sense his presence? Jesus lands at Gennesaret (probably Kineret on the Northwestern shore of the Sea of Galilee, no...